Samuel B. Marlowe (top left) appears in an undated family photo placed at his grave in Inglewood. | screenshot from latimes.com

The two most famous detectives of classic noir literature – Sam Spade and Philip Marlowe — just may have been inspired by the first Black private investigator licensed west of the Mississippi River – Samuel B. Marlowe. That’s according to a former Hollywood executive who brought Marlowe’s story to Los Angeles Times reporter Daniel Miller. In “Finding Marlowe” published last month, Miller attempts to trace just how much this Black private eye living in South Los Angeles in the mid-20th century shadowed lives throughout Hollywood. [Read more…]

LA School Report: George McKenna won the District 1 seat of the LAUSD School Board covering a swath of South L.A., beating opponent Alex Johnson with 53 percent of the vote. Just 8 percent of eligible voters turned out for the runoff election.

LA Times: The LAPD provides details on the controversial killing of 25-year-old Ezell Ford in South L.A.

LA Weekly: South LA’s KIPP Empower Academy Charter School in the Vermont Knolls neighborhood is named as one of the “awesome LAUSD schools in affordable neighborhoods” in a piece by our colleague Ani Ucar from Annenberg Radio News.

NBC: School is back in session, and things are starting to get back to normal at Miramonte Elementary, the South L.A. campus plagued since 2012 by reports of child abuse.

KCET Artbound: The old church at 49th and Compton is actually a modernist gem by architect Rudolph Schindler.

For 10 years, the Festival of Books was held on UCLA’s campus in Westwood. Moving it to USC brings it closer to the city’s center and gives thousands of people a fresh look at South Los Angeles.

Beverly Kenworthy of the LA Chamber of Commerce says attendees will be surprised by how much the area has changed.

“The improvements and all the new construction and the new buildings, the new offerings for food and everything has been tremendous,” Kenworthy said. “It’s going to be positive not just for the businesses but for USC as well.

But some residents don’t think it will mean much for the local community. Clemente Franco at the South Central Neighborhood Council thinks lower-income and Latino families of the area are being excluded from the event.

“I think USC and the LA Times have done a poor job of making it accessible to get those folks involved,” Franco said. “And I don’t think USC is very inviting, although I think they give the appearance that they are, but I just don’t think they are.”

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa announced this week that John Deasy will assume the role of LAUSD superintendent in the spring after serving as deputy superintendent.

“John Deasy is the right person for this job and the Los Angeles Unified School District is lucky to have him,” said the Mayor. “John understands the unique challenges facing the LAUSD and has already benefitted from on-the-job training as Deputy Superintendent.”

What do you think of Deasy’s appointment? Let us know in the comments below.

What Howard Blume’s article didn’t mention is that prior to coming to University of Louisville, Deasy, while chief of the Santa Monica school district, awarded Robert Felner’s research company, the National Center on Public Education and Social Policy, a $375,000 grant care of the Santa Monica School District. Rather than defend that dissertation, as one would expect of a learned Ph.D candidate, Deasy offered to give it back. He did so because his conscience was telling him that he did not earn that degree.

Blume also failed to mention that Deasy reportedly lied on his resume about having worked as a Faculty Member in the doctoral program of the Educational Leadership and Social Dept. of Loyola Marymount University. LMU reportedly has no employment records for him.

Lyell added:

What the public needs to understand is that teachers would like to see responsible, conscientious leadership from the LAUSD School Board, and it is the board, and not teachers, that is responsible for determining district policy. Teachers would like to see district leaders who are interested in collaborative policies, rather than embracing a punitive top-down management style that favors turning schools over to corporate interests who see children as dollar signs.

The April 30 – May 1 weekend celebration is moving to USC University Park in order to draw more people, officials said.

The free Festival of Books brings exhibitors, booksellers, publishers, literacy and cultural organizations together with poets, authors of every genre and readers together for readings, book signings, intimate Q&A’s, comedy, children’s activities and more.

The Los Angeles Times and the University of Southern California made the announcement today.

“After 15 years on the Westside, we are very excited to move the Festival of Books to its beautiful new home and have the opportunity to work hand-in-hand with USC to ensure we grow bigger and better in the future,” said Times Publisher Eddy Hartenstein in a press release. “Attendees and exhibitors can expect more to see, do and experience in addition to great access and a refreshing change of scenery.”

“We are thrilled that the Festival has a new home here,” said C. L. Max Nikias, president of USC, in a press release. “The Times Festival of Books is known for sparking just the kind of intellectual curiosity and energy that are at the heart of USC’s mission. The Festival is a great fit for our world-class faculty authors and writing programs, as well as for our literacy work in the community. USC and the Los Angeles Times are two of the oldest institutions in Los Angeles, and it’s fitting that we would be joining together for this event that is so important to the intellectual life of Southern California.”

The move allows for increased attendance due to USC’s central location, proximity to public transportation, abundant parking and newly enhanced campus facilities, the release said. The Festival of Books was previously held on UCLA’s campus in Westwood.